Conveyer



N. D. LEVIN.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APRA. I9I9.

Patented Nov. 9, 1,920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920. M 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. *5 e AN mw mw mw ww n mm. w M

N. D. LEVIN.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2, 1919. 1,358,167.

h bmw RAL m 4 I. f n f c A n I O O O 0 f5.5: o oooo ccoo ooo oooo oooa oooo oooo ooo o o 0 O O o o o o o O o O O O O O 0 0 O 0 0 O O 0 O O o O 0 0 O O 0 0 o o O md II -i mm ;v W W U. a H-M J. IL

N. n. u-:vlNLy CONVEYER.

APPUCATION FILED APR.2,1919.

1,358, 1 67. Patented Nov. 9, 1920;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

` l,takenalong.'thef'line l Figjis a planviem` o'fyavl vfragment of the yconv'eyerchai'n `showingthe'method of at- 50 ,ltakenalongtheline'VIIliVIFof Fig.`3.

, -iL'vke numeralsreferto similar parts in the UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NILS' D. LEVIN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JEFFREY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONVEYER.

Application led April 2, 1919.

T 0 all 'whom it may concern: Be it known that I, NILs D. LEvrN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in conveyers, and particularly to that class of conveyers used for carrying coal away from a mine face and from positions in relatively low horizontal planes up to positions in relatively high planes.

The object is to construct such a conveyer with a single propelling chain, the trough and guideway having a horizontally disposed lower element at the receiving end and a horizontally disposed upper element at the discharge end, with an intermediate inclined or curved element, in combination with scraper elements having resilient con nections with the propelling chain 'and adapted to travel along the horizontal and the intermediate elements of the trough and also adapted to avoid breakage or severe strains if they engage with obstructions such as large coal masses or the like.

The devices by which attainthis object are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings of which- Figure 1 is a general plan view of a mining and loading machine which embraces my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1. y

[Fig 3 isa fragmentary longitudinalvertical sectional view taken along the line Irrr-1110i Fig. 4..

Fig, 4 is a transversef Yvertical sectional lview taken ,along y the" linejIVe-IV? of 1'and2".v

F ig.` 5 1s a fragmentary sectional view i Figgf` Z is a detail;` cross "sectional View my ice-pending applicaties serai No.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

serial No. 286,854.

184,946, filed August 7th, 1917, is disclosed a mining and loading machine adapted to dislodge coal from its native bed and to remove it rearwardly of the machine and load it into suitably positioned cars for transportation from the mine. The cutting apparatus of that machine produces a considerable quantity of fine coal which is discharged at points inaccesssible to the principal loading conveyer, and an auxiliary conveyer is provided whereby this fine coal is reclaimed and deposited in the primary conveyer to be loaded by it into the pit cars. It has been found in practice that fragments of coal or other material too large to be successfully handled by this auxiliary conveyer occasionally get into the path of travel of the scraper flights, tending to jam the conveyer and subjecting the parts to destructive strains. The devicesk of this present invention have been provided to protect this con.- veyer from these excessive strains, with the consequent danger of breakage of the parts and interruption of the operation of themachine.

As shown in the drawings the mining and loading machine above referredy to comprises an undercutting mechanism, indicated by the character A, adapted to form a horizontal kerf at the base of the coal vein; two vertical shearing devices, B and 13,

adapted to form vertical kerfs extending upwardly from either end of the `horizontal kerf; breaking down mechanism, (1, adapt-k ed to engage the coal above the horizontal kerf and between the vertical kerfs to break it down; a receiving conveyer, 1), adapted at its forward end to enter the horizontal kerf with the cuttingmechanism A to receive the coal as it is broken down, and' "afnism, ybreaking down "devices, andthe receiving' conveyer fare all y. mounted l upon a 'suitable base 'frame 1` :which isnlongitudinally-slidable in a supporting panQ-,which frestsdirectly, uponI the door of; theinine. 'Suitable lfeeding mechanism lis Aprovided for moving the base frame i'elativeto thesupj Iporting pan to4 feedL the "cutting, nand'brealc ing down elements to their work, and for moving the machine bodily over the floor of the mine to position it relative to the ma.- terial which is to be mined.

The undercutting mechanism A is of the well known type comprising a guide armature pinion 10of the electric motor. 11.

The motor 11 is mounted upon the main frame 1, beneath`the rearward portion of the receiving conveyer 1), and supplies energy for the actuation of the various elements of the machine. As these elements form no part in the present invention further description' of them is not thought to be required at this time. During the operation of the machine the fine coal pro* duced by the cutter bits 5 is carried rearwardly thereby and discharged upon the base pan 2as the chain passes around the sprocket `wheel 6. If these coal cuttings were allowed to accumulate the machine would Vsoon be completely `choked and I have provided an auxiliary slack conveyer A G (shown in longitudinal section in Fig.

3) to reclaim these cuttings, transport them rearwardly of the machine, and deposit them cinEtlle hopper 12 of the loadingconveyer The slackl conveyer is indicated as an entirety by f G. It comprises a trough havlng a vertical wall and a bottom wa1l'23 at one side and a vertical wall and a bottomwall 24 on the otherl side, these walls being preferably formed of angle sheets (see Figs. 3 and 7). At theirv inner edges the angle sheets are secured vto the lower angle bars near the longitudinal central lines of the conveyer, upper angles beingv arranged above the lower ones. These angles vform one or Lmore box-like structures with slots or openings between the edges of the angles.

The side walls of thetrough and the angles are secured together'in such way as to form a unitary structure which has a lower horizontally disposed element at the receiving end and an upper horizontally disposed element at the discharge end, together with an intermediate inclined or curved element. The active element of this conveyer is-an endless chain composed of welded links 13 formed'of round steel'rods, interspersed at spaced intervalswith special attachmentl links 14 having'laterally extending hinge members 15 to which the scraper iights 16 are attached. The chain being constructed as above described of round rod welded .of the conveyer element.

links, each lying in a plane at right angles to the planes of adjacent links, and being connected to the attachment links 14 in the way illustrated in the drawings, it will be seen that it (the chain) can be readily flexed horizontally or vertically along its length. It travels smoothly along the lower and-the upper elements of the trough and also along the intermediate inclined element. And at any point the ieXibly attached flights are allowed to move relatively to the chain as described. This chain passes around a drive.

sprocket wheel 17 mounted underneath the rear end of the main conveyer for rotation about a vertical stud 18 which is integral with the casting 19 secured to the main frame 1 by means of bolts 20, and to each casting the parts of the upper element of the trough are secured. At the forward end of the conveyer the chain passes around an* idler sprocket wheel 21 which is mounted in a bracket 22 in. such position that the flights 16 may engage the coal cuttings upon the pan 2 near the point where theyvare dropped by the cutter bits 5 ofthe 'cutter chain. The flights 16 push the cuttings onto celvmg conveyer D. The bottom wall of 4 the sheet angle 24 supports the return strand is attached to the sprocket wheel 17 and engages a bevel gear 26 mounted upon the longitudinal power shaft 27 to drive the conveyer. The power shaft 27 is connected through suitable gearing with the motor 11 but as these devices form no partin the present invention further description of them at this time is not thought to be re- Iquired. The idler sprockiet wheel 21 1s journaled on a stud 28 of the casting 22 and is held in place by the guard member 29. The casting 22 is supported for limited movement longitudinally of the machine by an extension 30 which engages a suitable guide way 31 formed in the main frame casting 1. The position of the casting 22 is controlled by the adjusting screw 32 and the nut 33 manipulation of which produces the adjustment necessary to properly tension the conveyer chain. l l

The scraper flights'4 16 `are pivotally connected to the hinge members 15 by suitable A bevel gear 25 ioo hinge pins 34. Springs 35 are provided to rotate the scraper elements forwardly about the hinge pins 34, and shoulder extensions 36 on the hinge members 15 engage the forwardl surfaces of said flight t0 limit their forward rotation. By this arrangement the flights are held in positionto move the fine coal cuttings along the conveyer trough, while the resiliency of the springs 35 allows the flights to ield to excessive pressure and prevents brea age of the parts should they encounter fragments of coal or other ob jects too large to pass through the conveyor trough.

What I claim isl. In a conveyer, the combination of a trough havinga horizontally disposed relatively low receiving end; a horizontally disposed relatively high discharge end, and an intermediate inclined part between the said receiving and discharge ends, and a chain iiexible in vertical and horizontal planes adapted to longitudinal movement parallel with said trough, and having fli hts resilienltly attached thereto and he d with their axes fixed in vertical planes.

2. In a conveyer, the combination of a trough having a horizontally disposed relatively low receiving end; a horizontally disposed relatively high discharge end, and an intermediate inclined part between the said receiving and discharge ends, a universally flexible chain adaptedto longitudinal movement parallel with said trough and having hinge attachmentsl secured thereto; iights hinged to said attachments and held with their axes fixed in vertical planes, and resilient means to hold said flights in position to propel material along said trough or to permit said Scrapers to be deflected around relatively immovable obstacles.

3. In a conveyer,A the combination of a trough having a horizontally disposed relatively low receiving end; a horizontally disposed relatively high discharge end, and an intermediate inclined part between the said receiving and discharge ends, a universally flexible chain adapted to longitudinal movement parallel with said trough and having flights hinged thereto, said flights being held with their axes iixed in vertical planes during the travel along said trough, and resilient means to hold said flights 1n position to propel material along said trough.

4. In 'a conveyer, the combination of a trough having a horizontally disposed relatively low receiving end, a horizontally disposed relatively high discharge end, and an intermediate inclined part between the said receiving and dischar e ends, a chain universally flexible and a apted to travel along and be held adjacent to the bottom of said trough from end to end thereof, lights hinged to said chain and held with their axes fixed in vertical planes during their travel along said trough, and resilient means to hold said iiights in position to propel material along said trough.

In testimony whereo,-I aiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NILS D. LEVIN.

Witnesses:

HARRY C. DEAN, ANNA M. FENLON. 

